Mike Giesbrecht

There are several ways to make the selling process easy and relatively stress-free. One way is to create a selling timeline that fits your needs, lifestyle, and capabilities. Say you’d like to list your home in four weeks and expect it to be on the market for an additional four weeks. That’s an eight-week timeline. How do you create a manageable schedule that works for you? Try these steps ...

When prospective buyers visit your listed home, the room they tend to check out most closely is the kitchen. So, it pays to ensure it looks its best. However, no matter how tidy, clean, and well-adorned you’ve made your kitchen, there are some issues — which can seem minor — that can distract a buyer from appreciating those positive qualities. Here are just a few to watch out for: Stai ...

When you read or watch the news about the real estate market, it may seem reasonable to make the assumption that the information applies equally to your street or community. But, that isn’t always true. In fact, the characteristics of your local real estate market can differ in many respects from the regional or national market. Say the regional real estate market is most active during c ...

Imagine you have a growing family, and you want to trade in the small sedan for something larger. So, you visit the dealership and come back with a bus. Well, that would be upsizing a bit too much – unless you have a really huge family! That’s the challenge of upsizing or downsizing. You need to be careful not to take it too far and end up with something that isn’t suitable. This often o ...

When you’re selling your property, hosting an Open House will provide an excellent opportunity to attract buyers. Ideally, people will see your property that day and decide to make an offer. That would be exciting! So, what can you do to prepare for the day? Here are a few suggestions: Make sure the entire house is clean and tidy. Think of making it “guest ready.” Plan to leave early ...

  There’s no doubt about it. Buying a home that is “move in ready” is a real convenience. All you need to do is get your belongings in place, and you’re ready to enjoy living in your new home. You don’t even need to paint. That’s why move-in-ready homes tend to attract more buyers. However, there are advantages to buying a property that needs work. And, if you’re currently shopping for a ne ...

When you’re preparing your home for a sale, you should declutter as much as possible. That makes your property appear neater and more spacious to buyers. However, that doesn’t mean you have to toss items in the trash or haul them to a landfill site. There are many other, more environmentally-friendly ways to dispose of unwanted items. One popular technique is to sell them online. Even if ...

There are many reasons homeowners may need to sell their property — fast. Work relocations, changes in family makeup, and financial needs are among the most common. If you find yourself in a position where you need to sell quickly, you don’t necessarily have to go to market with a temptingly low price. Here are some other ways to accelerate the sale of your home: Make your property as m ...

When preparing your property for sale, you want to make it as attractive as possible to buyers. After all, the more buyers like what they see, the higher the probability you’ll get good offers. That’s why it’s advisable to clean, declutter, decorate, fix, and improve as much as possible. But, how far should you go with fixing and improving? For example, should you tear down the old deck a ...